Recommended Movies

 As well as being a history buff, I like movies, especially old movies, like they show on AMC.  Perhaps those movies are history in themselves?  Anyway, for those of you who are new to intercultural relationships, especially with Filipinas, there are a few movies which I feel are worth looking for at your local video store.  These are movies that in some manner deal with intercultural romance, or with the history of the Pacific region, or which were shot on location in the Philippines.  I'm not saying these are all great movies (though I like them all), but I am suggesting that if you've never been romantically involved with someone from another culture, you might see some issues addressed in these films which you will encounter yourself at some point.

* Sayanora (1957), starring Marlon Brando.  In this movie Brando plays an Air Force pilot who is tasked to dissuade another serviceman from marrying a Japanese girl.  Brando not only fails to dissuade this fella from marrying the girl, he horrifies his Caucasian peers and former girlfriend by falling in love with a Japanese actress himself.  Apparently, in this time and setting, a Caucasian All-American war hero just didn't do that kind of thing.  The extent to which the Air Force, his superiors, and his former girlfriend's family will go to prevent intercultural relationships leads to tragedy.  When I first saw this movie I was reminded very much of those lengthy speeches the Navy and Marine brass used to give folks like me before we went on liberty in the Philippines - there was always the implication that we shouldn't get involved with the local Filipinas because, well, they just wouldn't fit in back home.  Have some fun now, sure, but don't get too attached.  It was nothing short of cultural prejudice.  And this film captures it perfectly.  Don't think that such prejudice doesn't still exist today, at least in some areas of the country. 

* 55 Days In Peking (1963), staring Charlton Heston.  In addition to being a great historic piece, this movie offers you two things.  First, because it is set during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion in China, it is concurrent with the American conquest of the Philippines that began in 1899.  This means that the American soldiers in this movie are wearing the same uniforms and brandishing the same weapons as those troops fighting in the Philippines, not too far away, at the exact same time.  You could even theorize that the troops in this movie might have been transferred over from the Philippines to China.  Second, there are some poignant scenes where an Amerasian child, a little girl, greets her returning American father (her Chinese mother has died), and how she later asks Heston, his friend, to take her to America when she learns that her father has been killed in the fighting.  Heston's performance is spectacular as he tries to explain to the sad girl how things are "different" in America...his way of saying an Amerasian girl wouldn't be accepted by American society.  It's really a very touching scene as Heston realizes that the girl doesn't understand race issues, and how he is now the only man alive who can possibly help her. 

* The World of Suzy Wong (1958):  In this movie an American expatriate in Hong Kong falls in love with the Chinese model he has hired to pose for his paintings.  His western peers treat the relationship as one of pure folly at first, but eventually the crush of an English girl on the American, and her disbelief that the man would choose a Chinese girl over her, leads to cultural conflict.

 * Goodbye America is a recent movie about the last days of the American naval base at Subic Bay.  It's a fictional story, but it was filmed on location (after the base was closed) and it has some real talent in it - for example, Michael York, James Brolin, and several top (and drop-dead beautiful) Filipina actresses.  In this movie, an American is in love with a Filipina, but marrying her means potentially giving up a promising naval career, as well as a stunningly beautiful American fiancée who flies to the Philippines to confront him on the issue.  Oh yeah, and his dad (York) is a powerful politician who does not want his son marrying a girl who isn't American, isn't white, and who the father believes wants nothing more than an easy ticket to the U.S.   This movie was actually produced by ABS-CBN, the Filipino media giant. 

* Apocalypse Now (1979): Okay, you've all seen this one.  Great movie, I mention it only because it was shot in the Philippines, using then-President Ferdinand Marco's military helicopters for many of the scenes.  Heart of Darkness, a documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, is also a wonderful movie that shows the trials and tribulations that the cast and crew suffered while filming the movie in the Philippines. 

* Heaven and Earth is recommended by asawa Sam J. and his wife, Luz.  Sam, a minister, says that the movie, (which I've not seen yet - but will soon!) is "based on the real life of Phung Thi Le Ly Hayslip born in the small Vietnam village Ky La.  The film chronicles her life through incredible ups and downs following her through significant relationships personal tragedies and the like.  The segment that deals with her marriage to a Recon Marine Sergeant, Tommy Lee Jones is priceless.  It follows their relationship from the courtship, marriage, transition to the US, family life, cultural clashes and unresolved pasts. Definitely a worthy film for anyone considering marry someone of another culture or anyone interested in befriending persons of other cultures with respect, and sensitivity.  A must see in my book."